Page 73 of Interion

He stared at the house, then his gaze shifted to me. His right eyebrow arched as he reached toward me, finally understanding what I was doing.

I didn't give him time to stop me:

“Zion Voluz is not welcome,” I said, configuring the barrier that only responded to my commands.

Immediately, the entire house around us turned red as the barrier recognized an intruder. Zion's face filled with disbelief when the front door flew open and the barrier stretched toward him, covering him in a filamentous web of energy. In a burst of power, it shoved him out with a violent jerk. My eyes couldn't even track the red blur or the muffled thud that followed from outside.

He'd been thrown and now sat planted on his butt in the garden. He looked lost as his mind struggled to process what was happening.

I walked to the door.

“I can't believe you did that,” he shouted, furious.

A devilish smile spread across my lips. I'd never seen a man so stunned. It was wonderful.

“I hope you got the message,” I said, hearing footsteps behind me. It was Kiara, looking worried.

“You really think this barrier is going to stop me from getting in?”

He vanished and materialized at the barrier's edge. He placed his hands against it and stared hard at the blue shield. His shadows began climbing up it, as if they meant to devour it whole.

“If you do that, I swear. I swear by the gods, Zion, you'll be out of my life forever.”

The shadows hesitated, and I noticed he seemed torn. We stared at each other for what felt like an eternity—me with my arms crossed over my chest, him with his hands outstretched against the barrier between us. The shadows gazed at me pleadingly through the barrier. I couldn't tell if they truly had feelings of their own or if they were just a reflection of his thoughts.

In that moment, as if it were the hardest thing in the world, he pulled his hands back from the barrier and stepped away. The shadows slid back with a reluctant, lingering slowness and returned to his shoulders. They looked sad.

“Come back when you're here to stay. Otherwise, you won't be welcome.”

I turned, an unbearable pain shooting through my abdomen. I grabbed the doorknob and slammed the door shut with a thunderous bang. Then I looked at Kiara.

“I know you can break this barrier. But if you do, you'll be expelled along with him.”

Her eyes went wide, as if surprised by my words. Then she narrowed them and snorted. We understood each other. I grabbed my purse from the living room floor and staggered up the stairs, almost breathless from the pain. I'd never felt anything like this, and my healing wasn't working. Kiara climbed beside me, her expression worried, hovering around me like she was drawn by a magnet.

I pulled off the filthy dress, tossing it in the trash, and sat on the step beside the bathtub. I pressed my lips together as the pain hit full force, crashing over me in waves. Kiara was crying and scratching at the floor.

While the bathtub filled, I dialed Ambrose's number and he answered on the fourth ring:

“Hello, Kay! I'm so happy you called, but weren't you supposed to still be enjoying a party?” Ambrose was already talking nonstop the moment he picked up.

“Hi, Am. So, some things went wrong and that's exactly why I'm calling,” I said, taking a deep breath as the pain ate me alive.

“What things? Oh no, don't tell me Zion went to the party and caught you with Breno?” Ambrose practically shouted through the phone.

“No, Am,” I sighed wearily. “I wish it were that simple.”

I couldn't control the next wave and let out a grunt as the pain made me see stars.

“Are you okay, Kay? What was that groan?”

“I called because I need a doctor. Before you remind me, I know I am one, but I couldn't diagnose anything with my scan and I can't figure out what's causing the pain.”

“What are you feeling?” he asked, slipping into the routine professional tone he used with patients.

“I'm feeling a lot of pain in my abdomen, lower belly area. I already did the scan, but there's no injury. I used my gift, but it only helps a little. I don't know what this is, Ambrose.”

The line went silent for a few seconds.